The IDF have ordered the evacuation of part of an area in the Gaza Strip that it has designated a “humanitarian zone”, on Monday.
The military said they plan to begin an operation against Hamas militants who have embedded themselves in the area and used it to launch rockets toward Israel. The area includes the eastern part of the Muwasi humanitarian zone, which is located in the southern Gaza Strip.
Earlier this month, Israel estimated a million Palestinians are now in the humanitarian zone, which covers about 14 kilometres along the Mediterranean.
Much of that area is now blanketed with tent camps that lack sanitation, medical facilities and have limited access to aid, according to U.N. and humanitarian groups.
The announcement came during delicate negotiations seeking a cease-fire in Gaza, with U.S. and Israeli officials expressing hope that an agreement is closer than ever.
Talks will continue on Thursday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said. Egypt, Qatar and the United States are continuing to push Israel and Hamas toward a phased cease-fire deal that would stop the fighting and free the hostages.
Netanyahu will meet with US President Joe Biden, who announced Sunday that he will not seek another term, and address Congress.
The Israeli Prime Minister said that regardless of who becomes the next US president, “our enemies must know that Israel and the United States stand together tomorrow and always”.
Nearly 40,000 dead
The war in Gaza has killed more than 38,900 people, according to the territory’s Health Ministry, which doesn’t distinguish between combatants and civilians in its count. Israel has not given a total to how many civilians have been killed in Gaza.
Israel’s invasion of Gaza began due an assault by Hamas militants on southern Israel on Oct. 7 that killed 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and took about 250 hostages. About 120 hostages remain held, about a third of them believed to be dead, according to Israeli authorities.
The Israeli military said that it is continuing to operate in central and southern Gaza. Overnight, at least 15 people were killed in strikes in the southern city of Khan Younis, according to hospital officials and a body count by an Associated Press journalist.
The United Nations have also accused Israel of targeting a UN humanitarian convoy in central Gaza. Philippe Lazzarini, the head of UNRWA, the main UN group supporting Palestinians in Gaza, said that on Sunday Israel shot at a UN convoy near an Israeli military checkpoint and that five bullets pierced the clearly marked armoured UN vehicle.
Lazzarini said that the movement had been coordinated with Israeli forces and condemned the military for targeting humanitarian workers. The Israeli military did not have an immediate comment.
